Plah Kah Pung Neung Manow:-A whole steamed snapper
swimming in a tangy lime juice sauce is served in a metal fish shaped
pan with a candle lit underneath to keep it steaming. Raw cloves of
garlic and green chili sauce with cilantro protrude through the lime
zest as the sweet steamed fish melts in your mouth.
Plah Plow:-A popular fish to eat with som tam and sticky rice is plain grilled and salted fish. The fish is firstly stuffed with lemongrass, lime leaves and other ingredients for flavor, and then rolled in a thick coat of salt. It is then grilled, never overcooked, to juicy perfection. The result is a soft sweet white meat fish that literally liquefies in your mouth. Chewing is almost unnecessary. Plah plow is made with all kinds of fish including snake head fish, tilapia and snapper.
Yam Plah Duk Foo:-A precious favorite among Thais is a prized yam plah duk foo. At first, it seems to be a deep fried fluffy catfish essence of grease and air. However, when the sour mango, sweet sugar, tart lime, harsh red onions, earthy cilantro, shrimp, squid and peanut sauce are applied, the fluff transforms into a crunchy bite that includes all Thai flavors and textures in a single bite.
Som Tam:-Som tom is perhaps Thailand's most famous salad. Garlic and chilies are first pounded with a mortar and pestle (krok). Tamarind juice, fish sauce, peanuts, dried shrimp, tomatoes, lime juice, sugar cane paste, string beans and a handful of grated green papaya are tossed in the krok (som tam thai). The sweet, salty, and spicy flavors paired with the crisp crunch of the green papaya and sticky rice is utterly luscious. Many variations are available including one made with crab (som tam boo) and one made with fermented fish sauce (som tam plah lah).
Kanom Jeen:-Thin, mild tasting and very soft, kanom jeen are noodles made from fermented rice. They are serviced with a ladle of your choice of curry ranging from kanom jeen nam ya (red curry fish balls), kanom jeen nam prik (sweet chili paste), kanom jeen gang keow wan gai (green curry chicken), among others, and then topped with garnishes like cabbage and cucumbers.
Gai Pad King:-Ginger is the undeniable king in this splendid recipe. Huge amounts of grated ginger, boneless chicken, various mushrooms, onions, chilies and oyster sauce are fried together in harmony. Makes a great addition to any multi-ordered table of dishes and is available at pretty much any Thai restaurant in the city.
Pad Pak Bung Nam Man Hoy:-Even if you don't really care for vegetables, you still might like morning glory. Morning glory is a stem-oriented hollow vegetable with small leaves. It is lightly stir fried with garlic, oyster sauce, and chilies on a high heat to remain crispy and retain its fresh flavor.
Nam Prik Kaphi:-Nam prik kaphi is an assortment of steamed vegetables and perhaps a small fish, eaten with rice, and a pungent fermented shrimp paste chili sauce. Carts around town sell steamed cabbage, eggplant, string beans, and other vegetables as well as small salted fish, like plah tu, for take away nam prik kaphi. The thick sauce with its salty and fishy taste gives everything a complex flavor. Certainly not for those who don't care for fishy-ness.
Pad See Eiu:-This is a great lunch dish that gives you a boost of added energy. Wide rice noodles are fried in the wok with garlic, pork and Chinese broccoli, flavored with dark soy sauce. An egg is scrambled amidst the chaos of noodles and adds extra gusto. After the dish is served, people will sometimes add a few spoons of sugar, chili flakes and a little vinegar to perfect a unique taste.
Pad Thai:-Pad thai is probably the most famous dish outside of Thailand and something that tourists rave and hype about. So famous we almost didn't include it on the list. Medium sized rice noodles are stir fried with a host of ingredients like tofu, peanuts, shrimp, green onions, bean sprouts, garlic, pepper, fish sauce and lime juice. A scrambled egg mixed into the noodles seals the dish together and ensures deliciousness. Pad Thai is great to eat with a squeeze of lime and ground peanuts. Again, a spoon or two of sugar, chili flakes, and vinegar, are always an option by way of condiments.
Guay Teow Rhua:-Guay teow rhua is known in Thai as “boat noodles,” because the bowls of noodles used to be sold from boats. The sweet pork blood broth in every bowl is sopped up by a choice of noodles sen yai (wide rice noodle), sen lek (medium rice noodle), sen mee (angel hair rice noodles) or wun sen (glass noodles). A little bit of beef, pork, liver or pork balls, and a few sprigs of morning glory, are also added to the bowl. What makes the noodles special is that the bowls are small at about three to five bites, and an average diner can eat many bowls. Tables sometimes compete to see who can stack their empty bowls the highest.
Guay Teow Nuaa (Sen Lek):-Sen lek or medium-sized rice noodles are one of the more popular soup noodle choices. Beef noodles or pork and pork ball noodles are a handy lunch option. Broth, boiled for hours, is poured over a bit of tender meat with noodles, some light bean sprouts and maybe a little green morning glory, which steam in a boiling caldron before being put into your bowl. Though this dish comes chili-less, by now you will have built up a tolerance and will need to add a couple spoons of chili flakes for ultimate satisfaction.
Guay Jab:-Add celebrated rolls of wide rice noodles that look like one inch cigars to a thick light brown and fatty broth and you've got guay jab. Some other floating ingredients such as crispy pork skin, lungs, tongue and green onions keep the noodles company. The crucial overpowering flavor that signifies the dish is black pepper.
Guay Teow Lui Suan:-Huge and thin rice noodles in the form of square tortillas are used as wrappers for these Thai style fresh spring rolls. A mixture of ground pork, carrots and lettuce are wrapped up in the noodles to create spring rolls and then eaten with lettuce leaves and holy basil. The green dipping sauce is another astounding mixture of sweet, sour and spicy flavors.
Cha Yen:-The answer to coffee and tea drinks from around the world is Thailand's very own and very sweet cha yen. We admit, it's not a food, but it's certainly deserving of a spot on our list as it's so damn refreshing. Though it is called Thai ice tea, the actual tea flavor is somewhat unrecognizable as it is overpowered by a huge portion of sweetened condensed milk and then heavily iced. Look for one of the many stalls with 'Carnation' advertising plastered all over them and there is sure to be cha yen. You can also order cha yen at all coffee stalls, drink stands or restaurants in Bangkok.
Kao Niew Ma Muang:-Almost everyone loves yellow mango with sticky rice. A small bed of super glutinous rice is placed below some slices of super sweet, non stringy, ripened mango. Adding to the deliciousness is a drizzle of coconut cream syrup. Usually located at many makeshift stands depending on mango availability.
Sang Kaya Fug Tong:-A medium sized pumpkin is de-seeded and filled up with the creamiest coconut cream custard imaginable. When the custard hardens, the pumpkin is sliced like a pizza. A spoonful of candied pumpkin and coconut custard is then added. Sweet nectar.
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